Local mental health nonprofit running out of ‘Options'

Published: Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 7:21 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 7:21 p.m.

The only nonprofit agency in the region that offers treatment for children and adults with serious developmental issues is in trouble, local officials say.

“We've never had to ask for a handout in 20 years or for assistance from the community,” said Greg Gleason, director of Options for Independence, a community-based social service agency in Houma. “But it's getting to the point where if we are going to stay in business like we want to stay in business, we're going to need some partnerships within the community — that's a no-brainer.”

Options, located on La. 311 adjacent to the Terrebonne Mental Health Center, primarily serves adolescents and adults who are mentally ill or have other serious behavioral issues. On average, Options works with about 200 children and their families at any given time. However, services for adults are almost nonexistent with a waiting list of about 80 people.

Gleason said cuts to nonprofits are nothing new, “but this is probably the most extreme we've ever seen. The cuts are going pretty deep.”

Any child who goes through the court system and tests positive for narcotics is court-ordered to go to Options, Gleason said.

Resources for Options' Medicaid-funded adolescent substance-abuse program, however, has been cut in half, which has Gleason concerned, especially with synthetic drug cases on the rise.

“Youth crisis-intervention services are one of the greatest needs in the area to protect any community from long-term problems,” Gleason said. “Substance abuse affects everything.”

“The program helps kids and parents communicate with each other,” Gilbert said. “My son would probably be out on the streets getting in trouble without this program. A lot of adolescents on the streets right now have nowhere to turn to except here.”

The community should be concerned about losing Options because it improves the quality of life for everyone, said Misty Robichaux, one of Options' program supervisors.

“Isn't it a comfort to know that there are agencies that these kids can go to who need extra support to make a safer environment for everyone else?” Robichaux said. “If we didn't have programs like this, there would be no place for these kids to go, and I just can't imagine what that would be like for them.”

Robichaux added that the school system doesn't necessarily have the specialized training and resources to deal with the severe behavioral issues typical of children at Options.

Options for Independence is one example of a community-based nonprofit that Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration has surmised can help take the brunt of the state's overhauling of public mental health services.

But Gleason said providing treatment to people already enrolled at Options, especially if they don't have insurance, is becoming increasingly difficult.

“In the past, having insurance was not even an issue,” he said. “If you showed up here, we serviced you. We would worry about how to pay for it later — but not anymore.”

In an email sent by the state Department of Health and Hospitals, the department emphasized that children can get intensive behavioral health services through the Louisiana Behavioral Health Partnership operated by Magellan, a private company the state turned to in March to coordinate behavioral health care services across the state using Medicaid money.

The lion's share of money for Options now comes from Magellan. However, Gleason said Magellan's service rates aren't high enough to provide services properly. Moreover, Magellan doesn't take into account travel expenses in a rural area, Gleason said. Options covers the entire tri-parish region and provides services remotely to individuals who don't have transportation.

Without more support from the state, Gleason said he doesn't know how much longer Options can maintain its business.

“Will it be soon? I can't answer that. I won't do it. We just keep taking them in. But there will come a time when we will have to start turning people away if we don't find a solution.”

Though Gleason said he believes Magellan is on the right track, “their rate for services to adolescent substance abuse is horrible. And that is one of the things that has put us in the situation that we're in.”

On the other hand, Gleason said Megellan, too, is burdened by state budget cuts, which were announced last month and include slashing money for health treatment and domestic violence programs to close a nearly $166 million budget gap.

David Precise, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a grass-roots mental health advocacy organization, agrees.

“I wouldn't put the fault solely on Magellan,” Precise said. “The bigger issue is larger cuts toward mental health in Louisiana. No matter how you look at it, our state spends less than half on mental health than any other average state does.”

Precise said Magellan is having the difficult task of trying to implement a new system, and as quickly as possible.

“It's not feasible for them to keep up with the demand for services,” he said. “And what that means is that a lot of people who need mental health services are going to suffer.”

To offset costs, Gleason said he's had to get creative.

Options has recently partnered with Terrebonne Parish Public Schools, offering a day-treatment program for students.

Gleason said he's looking for similar opportunities and recognizes the need to create public awareness for Options during its fiscally tough times.

“Supportive dollars are the key to maintaining these children's programs,” Gleason said. “Technically, the state is providing those Medicaid dollars, but it just isn't enough. If we had a little more of that supportive piece, these programs would take off.”

<p>The only nonprofit agency in the region that offers treatment for children and adults with serious developmental issues is in trouble, local officials say. </p><p>“We've never had to ask for a handout in 20 years or for assistance from the community,” said Greg Gleason, director of Options for Independence, a community-based social service agency in Houma. “But it's getting to the point where if we are going to stay in business like we want to stay in business, we're going to need some partnerships within the community — that's a no-brainer.”</p><p>Options, located on La. 311 adjacent to the Terrebonne Mental Health Center, primarily serves adolescents and adults who are mentally ill or have other serious behavioral issues. On average, Options works with about 200 children and their families at any given time. However, services for adults are almost nonexistent with a waiting list of about 80 people.</p><p>Gleason said cuts to nonprofits are nothing new, “but this is probably the most extreme we've ever seen. The cuts are going pretty deep.” </p><p>Any child who goes through the court system and tests positive for narcotics is court-ordered to go to Options, Gleason said.</p><p>Resources for Options' Medicaid-funded adolescent substance-abuse program, however, has been cut in half, which has Gleason concerned, especially with synthetic drug cases on the rise.</p><p>“Youth crisis-intervention services are one of the greatest needs in the area to protect any community from long-term problems,” Gleason said. “Substance abuse affects everything.” </p><p>Houma resident Brian Gilbert's 16-year-old son was court-ordered to attend Options for substance abuse issues.</p><p>“The program helps kids and parents communicate with each other,” Gilbert said. “My son would probably be out on the streets getting in trouble without this program. A lot of adolescents on the streets right now have nowhere to turn to except here.” </p><p>The community should be concerned about losing Options because it improves the quality of life for everyone, said Misty Robichaux, one of Options' program supervisors. </p><p>“Isn't it a comfort to know that there are agencies that these kids can go to who need extra support to make a safer environment for everyone else?” Robichaux said. “If we didn't have programs like this, there would be no place for these kids to go, and I just can't imagine what that would be like for them.”</p><p>Robichaux added that the school system doesn't necessarily have the specialized training and resources to deal with the severe behavioral issues typical of children at Options.</p><p>Options for Independence is one example of a community-based nonprofit that Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration has surmised can help take the brunt of the state's overhauling of public mental health services.</p><p>But Gleason said providing treatment to people already enrolled at Options, especially if they don't have insurance, is becoming increasingly difficult. </p><p>“In the past, having insurance was not even an issue,” he said. “If you showed up here, we serviced you. We would worry about how to pay for it later — but not anymore.”</p><p>In an email sent by the state Department of Health and Hospitals, the department emphasized that children can get intensive behavioral health services through the Louisiana Behavioral Health Partnership operated by Magellan, a private company the state turned to in March to coordinate behavioral health care services across the state using Medicaid money.</p><p>The lion's share of money for Options now comes from Magellan. However, Gleason said Magellan's service rates aren't high enough to provide services properly. Moreover, Magellan doesn't take into account travel expenses in a rural area, Gleason said. Options covers the entire tri-parish region and provides services remotely to individuals who don't have transportation. </p><p>Without more support from the state, Gleason said he doesn't know how much longer Options can maintain its business. </p><p>“Will it be soon? I can't answer that. I won't do it. We just keep taking them in. But there will come a time when we will have to start turning people away if we don't find a solution.”</p><p>Though Gleason said he believes Magellan is on the right track, “their rate for services to adolescent substance abuse is horrible. And that is one of the things that has put us in the situation that we're in.” </p><p>On the other hand, Gleason said Megellan, too, is burdened by state budget cuts, which were announced last month and include slashing money for health treatment and domestic violence programs to close a nearly $166 million budget gap. </p><p>David Precise, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a grass-roots mental health advocacy organization, agrees.</p><p>“I wouldn't put the fault solely on Magellan,” Precise said. “The bigger issue is larger cuts toward mental health in Louisiana. No matter how you look at it, our state spends less than half on mental health than any other average state does.” </p><p>Precise said Magellan is having the difficult task of trying to implement a new system, and as quickly as possible. </p><p>“It's not feasible for them to keep up with the demand for services,” he said. “And what that means is that a lot of people who need mental health services are going to suffer.” </p><p>To offset costs, Gleason said he's had to get creative.</p><p>Options has recently partnered with Terrebonne Parish Public Schools, offering a day-treatment program for students.</p><p>Gleason said he's looking for similar opportunities and recognizes the need to create public awareness for Options during its fiscally tough times. </p><p>“Supportive dollars are the key to maintaining these children's programs,” Gleason said. “Technically, the state is providing those Medicaid dollars, but it just isn't enough. If we had a little more of that supportive piece, these programs would take off.”</p>